4 SoWashCo Educators Nominated For MN Teacher Of The Year

WOODBURY, MN — Four educators from the South Washington County Schools district were recently nominated for the 2022 Minnesota Teacher of Year award.

Park High Schools teachers Younna Eiden-Giel (social studies) and Kiersten Jaeger (Spanish) were nominated for the award alongside East Ridge High School teacher MacKenzie Hildahl (English/language arts) and Andrea Welvaert, an autism spectrum disorder and center-based program teacher at Cottage Grove Middle School.

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The four SoWashCo teachers are among 77 educators nominated for 2022 Minnesota Teacher of the Year. The honor is awarded to teachers in pre-kindergarten through 12th grade, early childhood educators and basic education teachers. Staff at public and private schools are eligible for the award.

The South Washington County Schools district is tied for the most nominees. Hopkins Public Schools and Bloomington Public Schools also have four nominees each.

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Education Minnesota, the teachers union that runs the Teacher of the Year program, said an independent panel of leaders in education, business, philanthropy and nonprofits will review the 77 teachers’ portfolios before naming semifinalists.

The panel is set to meet again in March to choose finalists, with the Minnesota Teacher of the Year banquet tentatively scheduled for March 1 at the St. Paul RiverCentre, though organizers warned it could be postponed due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

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This year will mark the 58th Minnesota Teacher of the Year award. Natalia Benjamin, a high school English learner and ethnic studies teacher at Century High School in Rochester, was the 2021 Minnesota Teacher of the Year.